When Reality Rears It's Head

For most of my adult life my weight and loosing weight has been an ongoing battle for me.  For the last thirteen years I have lost and regained the same 15 pounds more times than I can truly count!  Going to the doctor and being asked to step on the scale has never been an enjoyable experience. Nor has the lectures from my doctor about the importance of loosing weight.

I'm not an inactive person by any means! Up until 4 months ago I took a Boot Camp class five mornings a week and loved it.  However my pocketbook did not!  I have a treadmill which I use daily and I do various weight training and cardio exercises during the week.  I find inspiration on Pintrest and incorporate workouts I find online there weekly as well.

Unfortunately none of this prevented me from being hospitalized for 5 days in February with acute pancreatitis!  Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas.  According to WebMD 80% of cases are due to alcohol abuse and 20% of cases are due to gallstones.  I am not, nor have I ever been a heavy drinker and test showed I had no gallstones.  So this left my doctors baffled.......why was I experiencing acute pancreatitis?

Further research of my prior medical records revealed the cause in my case to be genetic.  For what ever reason my triglyceride levels run abnormally high, which left untreated can lead to pancreatitis. 

So my new reality is a non-fat/low-fat diet from now on and daily medication and monthly blood work to treat and monitor my triglyceride level.  My doctor strongly advised against eating anything containing more than 5grams of fat per serving.

I can not eat regular cheeses, commercially baked goods, processed meats, ground beef, regular pasta, regular ice cream, or any item with added sugar or hydrogenated oils.

I can eat whole wheat pasta, ground turkey, non-fat dairy items and any items that do not contain hydrogenated oils.

So far I've had an easy time of making meals.  Most of the items on my CAN NOT have list I didn't really eat anyway so they are not great loss.  I've had to get more creative with my cooking and going back to a cooking from scratch mentality.  With four kids and a very busy schedule I fell into the convenience trap.  

Since my release from the hospital I have lost just over 10 pounds which I'm very proud of.  With my continued exercise routines my hope is to loose those pesky 15 recurring pounds plus more and actually keep it off with my new eating style.

So readers, tell me....have you had experience with pancreatitis?  Do you have any tips for coping to share?

Do you cook from scratch?  Share some recipes if you do!  I'm building my new recipe box!